Healthy Screen Time: Benefits for Kids Explained

*This is a collaborative post

Technology is unavoidable in today’s world. But, understanding the benefits that healthy screen time can offer your child’s development could help you introduce technology into your home in a safe and productive way. 

While nothing can replace traditional learning and development methods, screen time has been found to aid in developing and enhancing social and cognitive skills in most children. If you have been weighing up the options of purchasing a model from The Good Guys iPads range, consider this your sign to take the next step. 

Enhances Critical Thinking

Some apps and games are specifically designed to test critical thinking skills, including resilience, cooperation, strategic thinking, resource management, reasoning, and spatial thinking. Many of these games won’t feel like learning to your child, allowing them to try, learn from their mistakes, and try again, challenging them to experiment and find creative ways to solve their problems. 

Don’t fall into the misconception that your child has to stick to educational games only. Online board and puzzle games require critical thinking and problem-solving to complete.

Other games, like the global phenomenon Minecraft, test a wide range of skills in a fun and creative environment. 

Develops Motor Skills

Working with computers and playing video games can help your child improve their hand-eye coordination and other valuable motor skills. These benefits can be particularly noticeable in children with developmental disabilities. A research review found that video games can help to improve gross motor skills in non-typically developing children. 

While there is no substitute for traditional motor skill development, like learning to write and draw, playing with toys, and exploring the great outdoors, digital options are worth exploring. Age-appropriate action and sports games like Super Mario Brothers, car racing, sports simulations, and first-person shooter games for older children, as well as eye-hand coordination apps, carry beneficial qualities for motor skill development.

Global Awareness

One of the internet’s most significant advantages is its ability to provide access to a wide range of cultural and educational content around the world, information that may otherwise be completely inaccessible based on one’s geographical location. 

When access to this information is done in a safe and supervised manner, children are exposed to a variety of different languages, cultures, perspectives, and ideas, which can help them develop and expand their global awareness. Furthermore, the internet can introduce them to community and advocacy groups, where they can express themselves and support causes and communities they are passionate about.

Improves Socialization

While it may seem somewhat contradictory, screen time can help improve a child’s social and emotional well-being. This is primarily because technology removes physical barriers that could hinder social interactions and connections, which is particularly useful for children who may find it challenging to make friends or have special needs. 

Video chat apps like FaceTime and Zoom can support conversations and play, especially when logistical complications make it difficult to plan in-person playdates. Teamwork-inspired video games can become a fantastic social outlet for kids, allowing them to connect with friends and a larger community over interests and hobbies they mutually enjoy. 

Finally, some social media platforms can foster a sense of community for teens by bringing them together with other people who share their beliefs and ideas. Before allowing your children to join these platforms, ensure they are properly educated on navigating the sites safely, understand the importance of protecting their private information, and report anybody who makes them feel uncomfortable or distressed. Online safety is paramount for children of all ages. 

Encourages Creativity

There are a seemingly endless number of tools, apps, and even some video games online that encourage creativity and design for people of all ages, including children. Studies show that video games can help players get into a creative mindset and ‘flow’ by setting clear goals, providing ongoing feedback, and offering more creative control in the playing environment. 

Websites like Canva offer plenty of free tools for children to design anything from digital greetings and birthday cards to original artwork and school projects. As your child becomes older, they can begin experimenting with CAD (computer-aided design) software to develop and design their own 3D-printable models. 

Alternatively, world-building video games like Minecraft, the Sims, Animal Crossing, and Railway Empire allow users to design their own homes, neighborhoods, businesses, and worlds, giving them complete control to express their creativity and bring their ideas to life. 

Promotes School Readiness

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend screen usage for infants. However, high-quality apps and programs are fantastic tools for preschoolers and older kids to become more confident and better prepared for school. 

You can download pictures and e-books straight to a tablet or a Kindle through various apps or invest in a subscription plan, like Epic, which includes over 40,000 popular titles across graphic novels, audiobooks, novels, and read-aloud books. Alternatively, you can download skill-building apps like ABC Mouse, BrainPop Jr, Duolingo, Khan Academy Kids, and Prodigy. 

Future Job Opportunities

With technology becoming increasingly important in our everyday lives, many new job opportunities require a good understanding of how to use it effectively and efficiently. Learning digital skills and coding at a young age can help prepare children for future job opportunities across multiple fields, including the technological industry. 

As their brains develop during childhood and into their teen years, children are in a prime development stage for learning and retaining new information that will last them well into adulthood.